The present invention is particularly applicable to multi-layered containers of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,407 issued July 22, 1986 to Gillard. This patent describes a multi-layered container formed preferably by winding a single face corrugated medium convolutely around a mandrel using the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,948 issued Apr. 10, 1984 to Gillard et al. Preferably the sleeve on at least two opposed corners will be bevelled and each of the corners will be crushed as the single face is wound to form the sleeve.
The bevelled corner presents a difficulty in ensuring that each bevelled corner conforms with the intended shape of the bevelled corner, i.e. insure that the bevel surface in the corner is symmetrical with respect to the adjacent side walls of the sleeve (angles between bevel surface and each adjacent side be equal) and that the bevel in the corner is not laterally displaced thereby changing the configuration of the squared container. This problem may be encountered in any similar bevelled corner type container having a relatively wide corner formed for example by two spaced fold lines with an intermediate section therebetween it being necessary to ensure that the two adjacent side walls fold relative to the intermediate or bevelled section on their adjacent fold lines and be symmetrical relative to the bevelled section.
When an end closure pad having flaps adapted to be secured to the outside of the walls of the container is applied to a squared container it is sometimes necessary to support the sleeve from the inside to resist pressure applied from the outside holding the flaps against the outside of the wall of the sleeve until they are secured into position. No suitable means for so supporting the inside of the container appear to exist.
One type of end closure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,271 issued May 16, 1989 to Lau et al and is formed of a pair of discrete pad elements one being applied on one pair of adjacent sides of an open end of the box and another to the opposite pair of adjacent sides. Flaps on the elements are secured to the outside of the side walls of the sleeve.
Various apparatuses for applying end closures to sleeves or boxes have been proposed however none have been particularly adapted to apply the closure pads of the type described in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,271 to the ends of the sleeve such as of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,407.
U.S. Pat. No. 852,083 issued Apr. 30, 1907 to Smith and U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,505 issued May 2, 1972 to Wasyluka et al disclose systems for applying end walls to tray type containers wherein the end walls have flaps that are secured to the adjacent walls of the container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,980 issued Dec. 25, 1962 to Kendall et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,413 issued Dec. 17, 1968 to Hill and U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,571 issued Jan. 17, 1989 to Everman et al all disclose systems for applying an end pad to close a tubular sleeve. However none of these arrangements teach squaring of a container by application of an interior platen and supporting of the inside of the container or sleeve during the application of the end closure pads.